Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) (38 page)

***

So, this was what being a newlywed was
like. Celia absorbed the feeling of his nearness as Seth squired
her down the street. Details she never dreamed he would pay
attention to were suddenly the only things he focused on. On this
particular outing, they were in search of the perfect dessert for
dinner that evening.

Seth had found a woman who made cakes
and since their wedding had been so hasty, a wedding cake hadn’t
been part of the day’s accompaniments. Now, here they were
strolling down the street with the taste of a delectable treat
still lingering on their tongues. The beautiful desert they’d just
sampled would be delivered to the hotel that evening. The baker
assured the couple it would be awaiting them in their room after
the supper hour.

Celia basked in the glow of the
attention he was lavishing on her. Gone was the ill-tempered tyrant
that she’d married and in his place a man of genuine affection and
consideration had taken his place. He was courting her. It was
truly a wonder. She’d already made up her mind that after dinner
that evening she would take her new husband to their bed and show
him just how much she appreciated the new Seth.

They were on their way to speak to
Charles before heading back to the hotel and rest before the
evening got under way. Outside the lawyer’s door, Charles was
speaking to client as they approached.

She glimpsed a man walking toward them
as Charles waved goodbye to his client. Her heart constricted in
her chest when she recognized the man headed toward them. Without
realizing it, she planted her feet and tugged on her husband’s
sleeve urging him to move in the opposite direction. The world
began to slow around them and she watched in horrified slow motion
as the Texas Ranger advanced on their position like a stalking
predator. Ty had seen the man’s approach and was lowering his
rifle.

“
Celia, what’s wrong?” Seth
hadn’t seen Brannon yet. “Are you all right?”

“
Hey, Loflin,” Brannon’s
voice seemed to reverberate off the buildings and echo down the
street. “Loflin– I’m talkin’ to you!”

He slowed only a moment as recognition
had him going on alert.

Celia saw his gun hand cover his
revolver while he gripped her with the other.

The Ranger stalked down the boardwalk
his spurs making an eerie jangling in the growing silence around
them. The few citizens that were still on the street scurried away
like rats.

“
Seth?” His name in a
question held everything for Celia at the moment. Panic took hold
as she realized his focus had shifted to the Ranger.

“
You’ve broke the law taking
a Comanche as your wife. I’m arresting you for the offense. She’s
government property, Loflin. She belongs to me!”

Celia thought she heard the hammer of a
revolver cock. She reached out for him only moments after he’d
shoved her hard in Ty’s direction. “Take her, Ty.” The voice
sounded like a stranger’s. Helpless to stop the wheels from
turning, she watched as Seth wheeled toward Brannon.

“
Get her out of here,” he
growled his eyes never leaving Brannon’s. Ty’s hand clamped down on
her arm with an iron grip. She glanced pleadingly from Charles to
Hawk who’d emerged from Charles’ office with the yelling. Each
man’s attention never left Brannon or his men who slinked up to
stand beside him. She watched with mounting apprehension as both
men unsnapped their holster straps.

“
Seth, don’t please!” Celia
fought the tears gathering as her heart banged against the wall of
her chest.

“
I said get her out of
here!” Her heart rate increased tenfold as he shot the order at Ty
in a tone Celia had never heard him use before. Feral and base, he
had become someone she didn’t recognize. Ty had a death grip on
her, but she was able to crane her head and watch Seth plant his
feet as his hand hovered over his gun.

“
He’s mine. Back off!”
Brannon yelled at the men beside him. With the order, the men
dissolved into the shadows of the nearby buildings on either side
of the street. She saw they’d armed themselves to the hilt ready to
defend their position when necessary.

“
All right, Loflin, are you
coming peaceful or am I gonna have to kill you?” Brannon’s lips
twitched in a sardonic grin. “Makes no never mind to me. Either
way, winner gets the girl.”

“
Seth, don’t!” Celia heard
the edge of hysteria in her voice.

Smitty Jones, who was sweeping the
sidewalk in front of his store, witnessed the commotion and
scurried down, like one of those frightened rats, to help Ty get
her out of the street and onto the boardwalk. “Here, now, Miss
Celia. Everything will be all right.” Patting her hand, he tried to
lead her into the mercantile.

She looked blindly at the thick, but
agile little man as he hauled her up the steps to the store.
Surreal, the scene was something like that out of a dime novel. It
couldn’t be happening, but it was. “Seth, wait. Don’t do this,
please,” she called over her shoulder as the two men bodily shoved
her into the interior of the mercantile.

“
Seth, I can get the
sheriff.” Ty’s voice was steady even though his hands were shaking
as he called from the stoop of the store.

“
Don’t!” The snarl was
Seth’s only reply.

Smitty and Ty barricaded the doorway,
so Celia peered powerlessly out the dirt smudged front window. Rose
came to stand beside her and mumbled words of comfort she paid no
attention to. She watched as Charles gripped Hawk’s arm and
motioned for him to clear the street. “He’ll be okay, men,” he
yelled to those who huddled on either side of the street. “Seth, we
got your second,” he hollered load enough for Brannon’s men to
understand they’d take up the fight if Seth fell. Seth gave a nod
without taking his gaze off Brannon.

Tears began to trickle down Celia’s
cheeks as she watched Charles watching the standoff intensely. It
was just a nightmare, that’s all it was…a nightmare like the one
she’d had a night or so back. Why couldn’t she wake up?

Brannon walked to the middle of the
street. “Are you ready to die, rancher?”

“
I should be asking you
that, Ranger.” Seth shook his hands loosely at his sides. His gun
hand settled just above the revolver in his holster.

Time stopped for Celia. She couldn’t
watch she told herself, but couldn’t turn away. Rose’s arms were
around her offering comfort. Celia’s vision tunneled in and her
chest constricted. This couldn’t be happening.

“
Rose, I have to do
something. Please, I have to stop this!” She tugged at the arms
that held her.

“
No, child,” Rose’s tender
voice was only a whisper. “This is something neither of us can
help.”

Shots split the air. He jerked once and
then fell. She broke free from Rose’s arms and bolted for the door.
“Seth!”

Tearing out of the mercantile, she flew
to his side. He lay sprawled in the dirt. Blood oozed from his
temple.

Frantically checking his pulse, Celia
screamed for Ty who already mirrored her position on Seth’s
opposite side. With hands trembling, she found a pulse. “We have to
hurry. Hurry I said!” Her words sounded like someone else’s
commands.

“
I don’t know how much
damage there is.” Her voice hitched and gave out. She found she
couldn’t get air in her lungs. Her fingers seemed to be someone
else’s as they trembled along his temple. “He’s taken a shot to the
head. It looks like the bullet grazed his temple. Oh, thank God!
But he’s out – unconscious.” Mechanically, Celia tore at her
petticoat and attempted to staunch the flow as Ty gathered his
brother under the armpits. Carefully caressing his cheek, she
glanced in Brannon’s direction. Charles stood with the rifle cocked
and pointed at Brannon. The Ranger was down but moving in the dirt.
The other Rangers moved to pick Brannon up by the boots and the
armpits while they watched Charles carefully.

Without another thought, she directed
Ty and Hawk in getting Seth out of the street and back to the
hotel.

***

“
He’s resting now.” Celia
kept her explanation brief so as not to upset Casey any more. Her
hands were steady - thank the Great Spirit. She couldn’t afford to
break down yet. Straightening the covers on Casey’s bed, she smiled
for her patient though her insides were numb.

“
Tell me what happened? I
heard gun shots.” Casey struggled against the pain to rise up and
garner the information she needed. “Then Charles Harrison came in
and told me Seth had been shot.” She reached out for Celia’s hand.
“How bad is he?” Her voice was pleading now.

The concern was evident in the young
woman’s eyes. For some reason, that fact comforted Celia, to see
that emotion, so raw and unchecked, staring back at her garnered
respect for Casey in her eyes. At that moment, she reveled in a new
and tender emotion for the youngest Loflin. Despite her words to
the contrary, Casey cared, which in turn made her want to be closer
to Seth’s sister.

“
Oh, I want out of this bed.
I want out, damn it!” Casey punched the cover with a tiny
fist.

Celia smiled with empathy for her young
charge. “It won’t do you any good to fume. he’s as safe and
comfortable as we can make him.”

Casey wouldn’t be mollified with so
simple an answer. “Tell me what happened, please. Charles wouldn’t
say because he didn’t want to upset me.” The girl’s expressive eyes
gazed at her with more urgent pleading.

“
Charles, is it?” Celia’s
mouth turned up at the corners in consideration. To her credit,
Casey blushed and waved away the innuendo of her question with a
wrist.

“
That’s not important.
Please tell me what happened and why, Celia, please?”

There was more here than she’d imagined
and certainly more feeling for Seth than Casey wanted to admit, she
mused. When she had finished relaying all she remembered about the
shooting, she realized it had indeed helped. Grateful for the
release, Celia laid her head against the back of the
brocade-covered chair she slumped into and closed her eyes. She’d
not had a minute to consider the details since the gun
fight.

“
You need to get some rest,”
Casey frowned as she considered Celia. “You look horrible. If
you’re gonna help him, then you’re gonna have to get some rest.”
The girl’s words were earnest.

Celia’s mouth turned up in a baleful
grin. “Out of the mouths of babes.” Studying Seth’s sister a moment
longer, She considered her next question carefully. “What else did
Mr. Charles have to say?”

Casey frowned, her innocent stare
almost believable. “Nothing.”

The girl wasn’t a very convincing liar,
but now wasn’t the time for advice on keeping secrets. Gently
shaking her head, she reached out and smoothed a stray strand of
hair out of the girl’s eyes. It was late or early depending on
one’s prospective. “Get some rest, Casey. Good night.”

With the girl’s dinner tray and a
discarded water glass from the nightstand, Celia turned to
leave.

Casey reached up to touch her
arm.

Celia paused and looked to Casey, who
was smiling, tremulously.

“
Thank you,” she said in a
quivering voice.

“
No need to thank me, but
you’re welcome.” Celia didn’t try to conceal the warmth that she
was beginning to feel for the girl. Closing the door behind her,
Celia considered Casey’s words. Touched and a bit shaken by the
girl’s truthful reaction, she walked down the hall to the honeymoon
suite. Much like Seth a couple of nights before, she stood swaying
in the dim light from the hall.

Celia opened the door. The room wasn’t
dark or unoccupied. Ty sat with Seth. Reminded of how a bond
between brothers grew stronger in the face of danger, she blinked
at the man in the bed. If Casey’s reaction were any indication, it
looked as though the bond between estranged brother and sister
could improve as well. Somehow, the expression of concern by Ty and
Casey and their trust in her ability fortified her. Slipping into
the room she’d shared with Seth as man and wife, only the night
before, she found herself drawn to the bed with such concern she
wondered at her emotional well-being.

Cutter stretched out on the bed with
his hind legs extended behind him in a deep stretch. Thumping his
black and white tail enthusiastically for her, the cattle dog stood
up, made a circle and then settled again next to his master’s
legs.

Coming around to the side of the bed,
Celia examined the patient. The wound on his temple was still
oozing slightly. With a fresh cloth, she blotted the blood. The
bandage needed changing soon. Casey’s words came back to her. She’d
sounded so much like Seth that it tugged at Celia’s heart. Ty slept
in the chair next to the bed and hadn’t stirred. Slumping into the
adjoining chair, she put her head in her hands.

A sudden chill ran up her spin and she
stiffened. What if Brannon came back? What if Seth died? Celia’s
hands trembled and she had to clinch them to quell the sudden urge
to panic. Wasn’t there a man on guard, even now at the top of the
stairs? Perhaps it was best not to be alone with her fears too
much. Or perhaps she needed a plan of action.